String-supported spinner toy



1967 J. TOMASELLO STRINGSUPPORTED SPINNER TQY Filed June 12, 1964 R mm NE S mu 0 T s E M A J United States Patent Office 3,295,251 STRING-SUPPO TED SPINNER TOY James Tomasello, 4801 Ridgeburg Road, Lyndhurst, Ohio 44124 Filed June 12, 1964, Ser. No. 374,638 Claims. (Cl. 46-61) This invention relates to a new spin toy. More specifically it relates to a spin toy which revolves on a string in accordance with the dexterity and skill of the operator.

The toy of this invention is very simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Moreover, it is very simple to operate and a beginner can derive considerable pleasure, even in the preliminary stages of his experience in operating the toy. As the operator becomes more skilled in its operation, the toy can be employed in more complicated maneuvers.

The device of this invention consists of a circular plate or disc having an opening at its center through which a string or cord is passed. This string is in a fixed relationship with the disc, but the disc is free to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the disc and passing through this opening as the operator holds and maneuvers the string some distance from the disc. The disc has a weighted element at its periphery to give momentum to the disc as it is spun or rotated. This momentum allows the operator greater maneuverability of the disc.

In preferred modifications, the disc has various attachments which allow the operator to give additional impetus to the spinning of the disc by having the string come in contact with these attachments in such a manner as to give frictional contact with the attachments and with a jerk of the string impart to the disc additional spinning force.

The disc can comprise a single flat plate or can consist of two plates having concave sections, preferably so faced and attached to each other as mirror images of each other so that the resultant composite disc has an inner hollow portion. In such case, the aforementioned string can pass through an opening in both or in only one of said plates. Such an arrangement permits the disc to be constructed of relatively light-weight, thin material such as paper, very thin metal, impregnated cloth, plastic, etc.

The invention is best illustrated by referring to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flat disc-type device of this invention with the maneuvering string passing through its center.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a spin toy disc having the opening at its center, and attachments on its top surface for giving spinning force as described herein.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 33 of the spin toy disc shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is another modification of the type of spin toy disc shown in FIG. 2, in which in FIG. 4 the weighted portion at the outer edge is shaped in protruding sections so that they can be caught and maneuvered by the string.

FIG. 5 is a modification in which the main body portion of the disc is dispensed with, having 4 spokes extending to an outer or peripheral ring or the weighted portion of the disc as described herein.

In operating the toy of this invention, the operator holds the string in one hand and with the other hand imparts an initial spin to the disc. Then the operator maneuvers the string to keep the disc spinning, either by whirling the disc around the operator so as to impart additional spinning force to the disc, or by periodically maneuvering the string so as to rub against the disc so as to contact a frictional surface or protruding portion 3,295,251 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 and by a jerky motion imparting a force to the disc in the direction in which the disc is spinning.

This force periodically imparted to the disc by the string can be effected through various protrusions on the flat surface of the disc, facing toward the operator, or by frictional surfaces or protrusions along the outer periphery of the disc.

In FIG. 1, the flat disc 1 has opening 2 to which string 3 is passed and secured at its opposite end, either by a knot or by attachment to an object too large to pass through the opening so that the disc is free to rotate on its axis. The string is bed by the operator near end 3' of the string. Weighted edge 4 gives the disc increased momentum so that it can maintain its spinning condition for longer periods.

FIG. 2 shows another modification of this invention in which the outer surface of the disc 1 has opening 2 through which the string can be passed, and also has weighted edge 4. Protrusions 5 are attached to the outer surface of the disc with end 5 being of greater thickness and tapering down to end 5 of smaller thickness. Thicknesses 5 and 5" can even be of similar thickness.

The interior and the manner of attaching string 3 to the disc of FIG. 2 is shown better in FIG. 3 which also shows better the construction of the disc with two outer plates 1' and 1 having peripheral sections 1" and 1" flat and adjacent to each other so that they are easily attached either by gluing, stapling or other convenient means. Weighted edge 4 is also shown in cross section and end 5' of the protrusion 5 is also shown. A disc of this type can easily be constructed from two ordinary paper plates with a metal wire fastened around the periphery to give the desired weighted edge.

In FIG. 4, the weighted edge portions 4 are shown in an irregular shape having protrusions 4' on which the operator can catch the string as previously described to give impetus foradditional spinning of the disc.

As shown in FIG. 5, the disc can actually consist of a ring such as a metal wire in the shape of ring 4 with spokes 6 connecting to hub 7 in which opening 2 is provided for insertion and rotatable attachment of the string. This is more or less a phantom disc and ring 4 is in effect the weighted edge of the disc of the other modifications shown in the drawings.

In the various modifications, the frictional surface element, by which the string can be used to impart additional spin as mentioned above, can be either a protrusion on which the string can be caught or is a material or surface of rough character which will offer frictional resistance, such as sandpaper or even a sticky, relatively soft material such as putty.

The invention claimed is:

1. A new spin toy comprising a disc having an opening at its center and rotatable about an axis perpendicular thereto and passing through its center, said disc having a weighted portion at its outer periphery adapted to give momentum when said disc is rotated on its said axis, and a string passing through said opening in said disc and afiixed to said disc in such a manner that the disc is rotatable on said string passing through said opening, said disc being adapted to offer frictional resistance when a portion of said string is touched against said disc at a frictional surface spaced from said center opening, said frictional surface comprising a means selected from the class consisting of protrusions extending from said disc and a roughened material on said disc, and means on said disc spaced from said center opening and offering a frictional surface whereby the operator can impart additional impetus to the spinning of said disc by first maneuvering the string to engage said surface and then jerking the string.

2. The spin toy of claim 1 in which said frictional surface comprises protrusions on the surface of said disc.

3. The spin toy of claim 1 in which said frictional surface comprises protrusions in the weighted peripheral portion of said disc.

4. The spin toy of claim 1 in which said frictional surface of said disc is a roughened material at the outer periphery of said disc.

5. The spin toy of claim 1 in which said frictional surface of said disc is a strip of sand paper at the lateral peripheral edge of said disc.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.,

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner 

1. A NEW SPIN TOY COMPRISING A DISC HAVING AN OPENING AT ITS CENTER AND ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR THERETO AND PASSING THROUGH ITS CENTER, SAID DISC HAVING A WEIGHTED PORTION AT ITS OUTER PERIPHERY ADAPTED TO GIVE MOMENTUM WHEN SAID DISC IS ROTATED ON ITS SAID AXIS, AND A STRING PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENING IN SAID DISC AND AFFIXED TO SAID DISC IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE DISC IS ROTATABLE ON SAID STRING PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENING, SAID DISC BEING ADAPTED TO OFFER FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE WHEN A PORTION OF SAID STRING IS TOUCHED AGAINST SAID DISC AT A FRICTIONAL SURFACE SPACED FROM SAID CENTER OPENING, SAID FRICTIONAL SURFACE COMPRISING A MEANS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF PROTRUSIONS EXTENDING FROM SAID 